Zong Zhengheng watched this scene, his gaze as deep and still as a pond.
Two stabs.
Both legs.
Pierced through.
Without hesitation.
He had killed many people, seen much blood, yet at this moment, gazing at the woman whose skirt was stained with blood and who wore a radiant smile, he couldn’t help but look a moment longer.
A madwoman.
Truly a madwoman.
Yet at this moment, Zong Zhengheng suddenly felt a sense of absurd reflection.
He had thought himself mad enough.
On his path to the throne, he had slaughtered his own brothers, eliminated rivals, and climbed to the imperial seat over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Court officials guarded against him as they would a tiger, clutching power tightly, forming cliques for personal gain, and devising ways to strip him, the Emperor, of his authority.
In secret, they called him cold and ruthless, cruel and merciless—a wolf in human skin.
He acknowledged it.
Without such ruthlessness, he would not have survived to this day.
But now, looking at this woman before him, he suddenly felt—
He was not mad enough.
He cared about the stability of the realm, the balance of the court, the support of the people, and how history would record his reign.
Before taking any action, he weighed the pros and cons, calculated gains and losses, and considered the consequences of each step.
He was the Emperor; he had to be this way.
But what of this woman before him?
She cared for nothing.
She didn’t care whether the Prince of Jin’an was put in a difficult position, how the Lu family would react, or what turmoil today’s events would cause once they spread.
She cared only about whether she wanted to do it, only about whether the anger in her heart was appeased.
Consequences, costs, the greater picture—
In her eyes, they were all insignificant.
Qiao Shuyi was the true madwoman.
A thorough, unrestrained madwoman.
And he? He was merely a prisoner dancing in shackles.
Yet—
He did not think her wrong.
Because—they were of the same kind.
If someone harmed his dog, he would exact a hundredfold retribution, let alone if someone harmed his person.
As he was thinking this, Qiao Shuyi had already walked up to him.
Zong Zhengheng looked up, meeting her eyes.
The madwoman who had just been calm and decisive, wielding a blade without hesitation, now seemed like a different person.
Her brows and eyes lowered, her eyes slightly red, her lips pressed together, she wore the expression of someone who had suffered a grievous wrong.
She extended her right hand, the one that had held the blade, before him.
“Zhi Gui, my hand is dirty.”
Zong Zhengheng looked down at that hand and said nothing.
“Zhi Gui, do you know? In the past, I never harmed anyone personally.”
“To me, those who harm me are no better than beasts. How could I stain my hands with the blood of beasts?”
“But today… for you, I personally avenged you.”
She shook her bloodstained hand, gazing at him pitifully:
“My hand is all dirty.”
Zong Zhengheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his voice somewhat hoarse:
“Shall I… clean it for Shushu?”
Qiao Shuyi blinked and hummed in agreement.
Zong Zhengheng took a plain white handkerchief from his sleeve, lifted her hand, and meticulously wiped it clean, finger by finger.
Just then—
A series of hurried footsteps approached.
Fuzhi, looking anxious, came running over and said urgently:
“Miss, it’s terrible! Madam… something has happened in the front hall.”
Zong Zhengheng’s hand, still wiping hers, paused.
The softness on Qiao Shuyi’s face faded bit by bit.
She withdrew her hand, her voice regaining a hint of coolness:
“Qing Yan, go fetch a physician, and bring some medicine for Zhi Gui.”
Qing Yan bowed in acknowledgment.
Then, she turned and walked away: “Fuzhi, come with me to the front hall.”
On the way, a maid dressed in green hurriedly led the way, with Qiao Shuyi and Qing Yan following closely behind.
As she walked, the maid reported in a low voice:
“Miss, the prince encountered Madam and Lord Zhou… with Lord Zhou…”
She gritted her teeth, ultimately not daring to finish the sentence:
“Now the prince has dismissed most of the guests, leaving only a few close ones. Concubine Song, the prince, the eldest young lady, and Lord Zhou are all waiting in the side room.”
“The prince is furious, and I heard… he said he wants to kill Madam.”
Qiao Shuyi’s steps did not falter, but her expression grew slightly colder.
Kill Liu Jinyu?
Qiao Nanyu, oh Qiao Nanyu, truly harbors not a shred of affection for his mother.
She had long seen through this man.
Selfish to the core, with only himself in his heart.
When trouble arises, he can push his wife out as a shield.
When disaster strikes, he can kill his own daughter to prove his loyalty.
What marital affection, what father-daughter bond—in his eyes, they are merely tools to be used.
Qiao Nanyu is an extremely arrogant man, deeply entrenched in his male chauvinism.
His women can scheme against each other, engage in intrigue, and even die by his hand—but they absolutely must not cuckold him.
That is his face, his dignity, his pride as a man.
How could he tolerate it?
Yet no matter how intolerable, it shouldn’t come to killing Liu Jinyu outright.
Qiao Shuyi’s gaze darkened slightly.
As they spoke, they had already reached the door of the side room.
In the side room.
Qiao Nanyu sat upright in the main seat, his face ashen.
Liu Jinyu knelt on the floor, her hair disheveled, her clothing somewhat disarranged.
“Your Highness, you must believe me. How could I ever betray you!”
Zhou Yan knelt not far from her, his face deathly pale, sweat beading on his forehead—a far cry from the dignified official he usually appeared to be.
Song Chengyin stood beside Qiao Nanyu:
“Your Highness, Sister… she must have been momentarily confused. Please spare her life for the sake of your many years of marital affection.”
Qiao Shuqin also spoke timidly:
“Father, Mother… she has always been very good to me. There must be some misunderstanding about today’s matter. Lord Zhou and Mother are old acquaintances. Perhaps they were merely reminiscing, and the maid misunderstood, seeing things wrongly…”
“Silence!”
Qiao Nanyu slammed his palm on the table, causing the teacups to rattle.
“What kind of reminiscing requires closing the door? What kind of old acquaintance requires disheveled clothing?!”
Qiao Nanyu looked at Liu Jinyu kneeling on the ground, feeling not a shred of pity, only endless disgust and rage.
Marrying her back then was merely for the Liu family’s wealth.
Qiao Nanyu needed to raise an army, to achieve great things—without money, he could not take a single step.
The Liu family was the wealthiest in Jinzhou, and Liu Jinyu was their only daughter. Marrying her was like marrying a mountain of gold.
As for her as a person—illiterate, shallow, and ignorant, unable even to write a proper letter—how could she ever be worthy of him?
But he endured it.
As long as she was useful, as long as the Liu family’s silver flowed continuously into his pockets, he could accommodate her in everything.
But the people who came today were all his trusted confidants, cultivated over many years, crucial to his uprising.
Whether Liu Jinyu was framed or not, the result was already laid bare:
His woman, in full view of everyone, was embracing another man.
Where would Qiao Nanyu’s face be?
How would these people view him from now on? A man who cannot even control his own woman—is he fit to lead an army and achieve great things?
Song Chengyin hesitated, “Your Highness, please calm your anger. But… I dare to ask, there is one matter I do not know whether I should speak of or not.”
Qiao Nanyu cast a cold glance at her: “Speak.”
Song Chengyin took a letter from her sleeve and presented it with both hands:
“This was just now… found in my sister’s room by someone I sent. Originally, I should not have brought it out, but given the circumstances, I dare not conceal it.”
Qiao Nanyu took the letter and unfolded it.
The words in the letter were tender and affectionate, expressing longing—
“Many years have passed, yet I often recall those days in my dreams,” “If fate allows, I hope we may meet again”… Every word and phrase was filled with a woman’s tender affection for her beloved.
Qiao Nanyu’s face grew darker and darker.
“Your Highness, my sister and Lord Zhou were childhood sweethearts and originally had feelings for each other. When my sister married into the palace, Lord Zhou left Jinzhou… Now that he has returned, I fear old feelings are hard to sever. But my sister was merely confused for a moment, you…”
Zhou Yan, kneeling nearby, caught a glimpse of the handwriting on the letter, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
He recognized that handwriting.
Liu Jinyu never enjoyed studying, and her handwriting was crooked and messy. He had even laughed at her for it back then.
After all these years, that handwriting had not changed at all.
But today’s events had left him confused as well.
Just moments ago, he had inexplicably found himself embracing Liu Jinyu, as if in a dream or under some spell.
This matter was far from simple.
But what use was saying any of this now?
The Prince of Jin’an’s dignity had already been tarnished, and his anger had already been ignited. Today, Zhou Yan feared he was in grave danger.
Qiao Nanyu threw the letter in his hand fiercely in front of Liu Jinyu:
“What do you have to say for yourself?!”
“No… I didn’t write this…”
“Your Highness, I didn’t write this! I have never written such a letter! I… I can’t even write properly, how could I produce something like this…”
Qiao Nanyu could not be bothered to look at her again and simply raised his hand to give the order:
“Guards.”
Two guards immediately entered from outside the door.
“I divorce my wife today. Liu Jinyu has failed to uphold her marital duties and has committed adultery—” He paused, enunciating each word clearly, “Drown her in the pond.”
As those two words fell, Liu Jinyu’s body nearly collapsed to the ground.
Song Chengyin stood to the side, covering her lips with a handkerchief, as if unable to bear watching.
Qiao Shuqin hung her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.
But in reality, it was excitement, satisfaction, the day she had waited for all these years finally arriving.
Drown her in the pond.
Liu Jinyu was going to die.
Her mother would finally reclaim everything that belonged to her.
Just then—
“Bang!”
The door was violently pushed open from outside.